1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to child or juvenile motion devices, and more particularly to devices and methods for controlling the motion in such devices.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Child motion devices such as conventional pendulum swings are commonly used to entertain and, sometimes more importantly, to soothe or calm a child. A child is typically placed in a seat of the device and then the device is directed to swing the child in a reciprocating pendulum motion.
Unfortunately, many child motion devices exhibit a lack of operational adjustability or adaptability. Past infant swings and other child motion devices have often been incapable of adapting to changing operational conditions. Such devices are likely to be well-suited for only a narrow range of children or operational circumstances. The inability to function correctly with child occupants failing outside a certain weight range is one example where past devices can fail to operate as intended.
Lack of customization options can be another source of inefficacy. Occupant preferences can vary significantly from child to child, as well as over time with a single child. Consequently, child motion products without available adjustments or customization options may be effective with only a small subset of children, and then only for only a short period of time.
The control techniques relied upon in past child motion devices have been known to suffer from a number of limitations. The control techniques, and the electronics and other components involved in implementing them, have often been inaccurate, inefficient, or both. This can often lead to operational drawbacks. For instance, the resulting motion can be bumpy or jolting for the child occupant, as the device generally fails to operate as intended. Other limitations of the control electronics and related components lead to inefficient operation, which can be significant as many child motion products are configured for battery power. Rapid depletions of battery capacity are then likely to lead to further operational problems.
These and other limitations of the control techniques and related components can ultimately result in the device being ineffective at calming, soothing or entertaining a child or infant occupant.
While the disclosed systems, devices and methods are susceptible of embodiments in various forms, there are illustrated in the drawing (and will hereafter be described) specific embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments described and illustrated herein.